This invention relates to methods of manufacturing blanks for brassieres, brassieres, and the products of such methods. In particular, the methods and products involve circular knitting operations in which the blank is produced as a cylindrical tube, and thereafter cut and sewn to produce a garment having straps knit integrally with a frontal torso portion having breast cups and a dorsal torso portion cooperating with the frontal torso portion in forming a torso band.
It has been proposed heretofore that brassieres may be produced by knitting processes, including full fashioned processes as shown in Braxton et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,665 and reciprocatory processes using circular knitting machines as shown in Epley U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,279. With such processes, shaped fabric areas are formed to define breast cups. With other processes, such as that of Novi U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,899, shaping is accomplished by aftertreatment of the manufactured fabric, rather than by knitting of shaped fabric areas.
With both full fashioned and reciprocatory knitting processes, blank and garment production is significantly slower and less efficient than is possible for other garments, such as tubular stockings or pantyhose, where technology has permitted fabric formation by circular knitting. That is, where the cylinder of a circular knitting machine may be driven in continuous rotation as distinct from reciprocation, the rate of fabric production and thus the manufacturing efficiency is significantly enhanced.